Change-speed mechanism.



W. H. SANDIFUR.

CHANGE SPEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1 1, 1913.

1,202,227. Patented Oct. 24,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. H. SANDIFUR.

CHANGE SPEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- n. I913.

W. H. SANDIFUR.

CHANGE SPEED MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED SEPT- lh I913.

1,202,227. Patented Oct. 24,1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

' UNITED STATES PATENT ornion.

WILLIAM H. S ANDIFUR, OF MEDARYVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO JANESVILLE MACHINE COMPANY, OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN, A. CORPORATION.

I CHANGE-SPEED MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. SANDI- FUR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Medaryville, county of Pulaski, State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Change-Speed Mechanism, of which the following is a full,

clear, aM exact description.

The invention relates to change speed mechanism andseeks to provide a simple and effective construction by which a rotary member or shaft may be driven at different speeds and in definite timed relation to the drivingmember or shaft, and the invention 5..

consists in the features of improvement hereinafter set forth, illustrated in the preferred form in the accompanying drawing] and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In many instances, the driven member must be operated by toothed gearing of some sort, so that the ordinary stepped cone pulley and belt cannot be employed fordriving the same at different speeds. In accordance with the present invention, a se-' ries of sprocket-wheels areso cutaway or mutilated that the. cooperating chain can be guided laterally and run from one wheel of the series onto another. In the drawings,

the invention is shown as applied to a corn planter in which it is desired to operate the of part of a-corn planter with the present seed plates at different speeds but in definite timed relation, so that a number of seed deposited maybe definitely varied, as required.

.In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view improved speed changing mechanism 'applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on theline 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is.a detail plan view showing the chain passing from the small sprocket wheel onto the intermediate wheel. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view illustrating the series of mutilated. sprocket -.wlieels, parts being shown in section onthe'line 5-5 of Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is an inverted plan view of the sprocket-wheels and showing the chain passing from the intermediate wheel onto the large wheel, parts being shown 1n section on the line 6-6 of "Fig. 5, and portions of the chain being shown in dotted lines to more clearly illustrate the construction of the mutilated sprocket-wheels.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fig. 7 is a p Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

Application filed September 11, 1913. Serial No. 789,265.

view similar to Fig. 6, showing the chain passmg from the large sprocket wheel down onto the intermediate wheel. 2

While the drawings illustrate the application of the invention to a corn planter, it

is obvious that it mav be used for numerous purposes. 1

As usual, the corn planter frame 1 is mounted upon a transverse cross-axle 2 to which theground wheels 3 are attached. At its forward end, the frame 1 is connected to a runner frame 4. which is fastened to a pole 4 and carries the seed cans 5. It should be noted that only one-half of the corn planter is illustrated. The plates which control the delivery of the seed from the cans 5 are driven in the usual manner from a transverse shaft 6 journaled in the front runner frame, and this shaft or member is driven from the wheel axle or driving memher 2 through the medium of the improved speed changing mechanism.

A drive chain 7 is arranged to pass over any one of a series of sprocket-wheels 8, 9 and 10 on the driving -member or wheel axle 2 and over a sprocket wheel 11 onthe rotary driven member or shaft 6. If desired, the shaft'6 may be provided with an additional sprocket wheel 12 over which the chain 7 may pass. The sprocket wheels 11 and 12 are keyed to or otherwise suitably secured to the driven member or shaft 6. Inthe form shown, the sprocket wheels 8, 9

and 10 are keyed to a sleeve 13 and the latter is keyed to the wheel axle or shaft 2. The loose side of the chain also passes over a suitable tightener. In the form shown, the tightener comprises two small idler sprockets 14 which are loosely mounted on two short transverse shafts 15. These slmfrsare carried upon the ofiset or separated ends of a pair of arms 16 and the latter are connected by bolts 17 and pivotally mounted to rock upon a cross-bar 18. An arm 19 is fixed to the cross-bar 18 intermediate the arms 16 and is connected to one of the bolts 17 by a spring 20. The chain passes over one of the'idlers 14 and under the other, and the from one of the sprockets on the driving shaft or wheel axle to another.

The sprocket-wheels 8, 9 and. 10 are mutiaway, as indicated that the mutilated lated or cut away to form a passage through which the chain may be guided and caused .to run from one wheel onto another, and these cut away portions or passages are inclined across the series of wheels, as most clearly shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. Preferably, also, two such passages or cut away portions are provided through one of which the chain passes from a smaller to a larger wheel, and through the other of which the chain passes from a larger wheel to asmaller one. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, each sprocket-wheel is provided with two teeth a and b on opposite sides of a gap formed by omitting one of the teeth. The teeth a and b of each. wheel arealsOcut away on an incline, the tooth a being cut away on one side and the tooth b on its opposite side. Preferably, also, the side ofthedarge wheel, 10 facing the intermediate wheel 9 is cut away between the teeth a and 6 thereof, as indicated at 0, and the side of the intermediate wheel next to the smaller wheel is provided with a similar recess. It should also be noted that the gaps or cutaway spaces in the several wheels extend across the series at an. incline or at an angle to the axis thereof. These mutila ted or'cut-away portions between the teeth a and b of the wheels form passages through which the chain may be guided either from the small wheel 8 onto the intermediate wheel 9, or from the intermediate wheel 9 onto the large wheel' 10.

The wheels are also provided with mutilated. or cut-away portions through which the chain may pass from the large ,wheel onto the intermediate wheel and from the latter onto the 'small wheel. These mutilated portionsare formed between the teeth d and e of each wheel, the opposite side faces of which are cut away, as shown in Fig. 7. On each wheel, thetooth'between the teeth d and e is omitted and the sides of the intermediate wheel and the large wheel 10 between the teeth d and e thereon are cut at f. i It should be noted or cut-away portions between the teeth 0! and k of the wheel extend at an incline across the series, but in a direc:

tion opposite to that of the passage-way between the teeth a and b of the wheels.

The ordinary drive chain may be deflected to a certain extent and a suitable shifter is provided for guiding the chain through the mutilatedor cut-away portions of the wheels and so cause the chain to pass from one wheel onto another. 'In the form shown, this shifter comprises an upright lever 21 pivotally connected-intermediate its ends by a bolt 22 to abracket 23. The latter is fixed to the frame 1 and is provided with segmental portions 25 and 26 against which the ends of the lever 21 abut. The upper segment 25 is provided with a series of notches 27 and the lever hasta lug 28 arranged to engage one of these notches. A spring 29, coiled about the inner end of the pivot bolt 22, normally holds the lever in position with the lug 28 interlocked with one of the notches 27. Thelower end of the lever is provided with a loop or hook 30 which extends on opposite sides of the lower tight portion of the chain 7 with the side walls of the hook or loop closely adjacent the sides of the chain. By grasping the upper end of the lever, the operator can disengage the In 28 thereof from the notches 27 and shift the lever to guide the tight portion of the chain from one to another=of the series of sprocket wheels. Preferably, as shown, the upper segment 25 of the bracket 23 is provided with stop lugs 31 to limit the shift of the lever.

Figs. 6 and 7 are inverted plan views indicating the manner in which the chain is shifted. As shown in Fig. 6, the chain has been passing over the intermediate sprocket wheel 9 moved to direct the lower tight portion of the chain onto the large sprocket 10.. The chain will, however. stay on the intermediate sprocket until its tooth a engages the chain. The chain can then slip to one side, so that it'willmiss the tooth b of the wheel 9 and pass between the tooth b of the wheel 9 and the tooth a of the wheel 10, and through the gap or cut-away space 0 of the wheel 10. It is then in such position, that the tooth Z) of the wheel 10 will engage the chain and the latter, upon the continued revolution of the wheels, will run from the intermediate wheel 9 onto the large wheel 10. The chain will, of course, then stay upon the large wheel 10 until the shifter is again moved. In a similar manner, the chain may be shifted from the small sprocket wheel 8 onto the intermediate wheel 9 through the gap or passage-way between the teeth a and 6 thereof. In Fig. 4 the chain is shown in the position assumed when it has passed almost completely from the small wheel onto the intermediate wheel.

As shown in Fig. 7, the chain has been running on the large wheel 10 and the shifter has been moved to guide it onto the intermediate wheel 9. When the tooth d of the wheel 10 engages the chain, the latter can move to one side, so that it misses the tooth 0 of the wheel 10 and engages the tooth e of the wheel 9.. Upon the continued rotation of the wheels, the chain passes between the tooth d of the wheel 9 and the tooth e of the wheel 10 and through the recess f of the wheel 10 until it has passed completely onto the wheel 9. In a similar manner, the chain may beshifted from the intermediate wheel 9 onto the small wheel 8. The chain tightener automatically takes up the slack of the chain in its different positions. The ide wheels 14 are free to slide on the she s 15 and the guiding-shifter has been as shown in Fig. 6,

as the chain is shifted from one of the sprocket wheels onto another.

The invention provides an extremely simple and effective mechanism by which the speed of the driven member may be varied, as desired, without stopping the operation of the parts. At the same time, the driven member is maintained and is driven by toothed gearing in definite timed relation with the driving member.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the details set forth without departure from the essentials ofthe-invention as defined in the claims.

I claim as my invention 1-- 1. In a change-speed mechanism, the combination with rotary driving and driven members, of chain-and-sprocket gearings "connecting said members and including a plurality of sprocket wheels of different sizes, said wheels having teeth omitted and adjacent teeth beveled to permit the running of the chain from one onto the other of said wheels, substantially as described.

In a change-speed mechanism, the combination with rotary driving and driven members, of chain and sprocket gearings connecting said members and including a. plurality of sprocket wheels of different sizes, said sprocket wheels being arranged closely adjacent and each having two mutilated portions to permit the running of the chain laterally and in opposite directions from one of said wheels directly onto another, and a shift lever having a looped portion engaging said chain for efl'ecting its lateral movement in opposite directions and into operative engagement with any one of said wheels, substantially as described.

3. A chain-and-sprocket mechanism comprising a seriesof sprocket wheels of different sizes arrangedclosely adjacent and side by side, and a chain cooperating therewith, each of said wheels having teeth omitted and adjacent teeth cut away to form a passageway extending at an incline across the series of wheels and thereby permitting running of the chain laterally through said passageway from one to another of said wheels, substantially as described.

4. A change-speed mechanism comprising a series of sprocket wheels of different sizes arranged side by side, and a chain cooperating therewith, said series of sprocket wheels having mutilated or cut-away portions forming two oppositely inclined passageways extending across the series of wheels to permit the running of a chain laterally and in opposite directions from one onto another of said wheels, substantially as de scribed.

5. A change-speed mechanism comprising a series of sprocket wheels of different sizes arranged side by side, a chain cooperating therewith, each of said wheels having teeth omitted and adjacent teeth beveled to form a passageway extending at an incline across the series of wheels, and a shift lever having a looped portion engaging the chain for guiding the same laterally through said inclined passageway, from one wheel directly onto another,'substantially as described.

6. A change-speed mechanism comprising a series of sprocket wheels of different .sizes and arranged closely adjacent side by side, a chain cooperating therewith, each of said wheels having teeth omitted and adjacent teeth cut away to form two oppositely inclined passageways extending across the series of wheels, and a shifter for guiding the chain laterally and in opposite directions through said passageway onto any one of said wheels, substantially as described.

, 7. A change-speed mechanism comprising a series of sprocket wheels arranged closely adjacent side by side, a chain cooperating therewith, each of said wheels .having teeth omitted and adjacent teeth cut away, and

the sides of the large and intermediate Wheels being cut away to form a passageway for the chain extending at an incline across the series of'wheels, and a shifter engaging the chain to guide the same laterally through said inclined passageway from one wheel directly onto another, substantially as described.

WILLIAM H. SANDIFUR. Witnesses:

E. S. MERRILL, E. A. WHITE. 

